1.
A person who works on a ship.
2. A person who loads and unloads ships at a port.
3. A place where ships and boats stop to load and unload.
4. Animals or plants are kept away from others (especially
when they are being moved between different countries)
to check that they haven't got any diseases.
5. A person who hides on a boat or plane and travels to
a different place for free.
6. Dangerous.
7. A ship that carries liquids, especially oil.

Part
2: Work in pairs. Here are two other phrases that are
used in today's article. Look at the meanings of each of
the words and then answer the questions.

1.
international - many different countries rescue - to help someone or something mission - a task or a job for a group of people

What
do you thinkinternational rescue mission
means?

2.
ship - a boat. transfer - to move something from one place to
another.

What
do you think ship-to-ship transfer means?

B: Prediction

Look
at the pictures about today's article.

Work in small groups and say what
you think today's articles are about. Use the pictures and
the vocabulary from Pre-Reading Activity A to help you.

Reading Activities

A:
Questions

You are going to read two articles today. Read the first
article and answer the questions below.

Plan to Rescue Stowaway Cat

WELLINGTON Tuesday November 27 (Reuters) - An international
rescue mission has been started to rescue
a New Zealand cat that stowed away on a
ship to South Korea, New Zealand media reported
Tuesday.

Two
weeks ago a cat ``Colins,'' went onto a
tanker at Port Taranaki, on the west side
of New Zealand's North Island, the Taranaki
Daily News reported. The cat is is now somewhere
north of Papua New Guinea on its
way to Korea's southern port city of Yeosu.

A
dockworker adopted the cat nine years ago.
The workers at Port Taranaki said they
were organizing a ship-to-ship transfer
to get the animal home without a
long period in quarantine in South Korea

The cat was fed by a Tomiwaka crew member
and the crew hadn't realized the cat was
still in the cabin until after the ship
sailed on November 13.

1. What is being rescued?
2. Where does Colins live?
3. Where is Colins going?
4. Did the crew of the tanker know they had a cat from
New Zealand on their ship when it sailed?

B: Reading in Detail

Read the sentences and choose the best answers.

1. The
cat is now somewhere north of Papua New Guinea on its
way to Korea's southern port city...
Its in this sentence means:

a.
the tanker's way
b. the cat's way
c. the workers' way

2. The
workers at Port Taranaki said they were organizing....They in this sentence means:

a.
the workers
b. Port Taranaki
c. the cat

3. ...a
ship-to-ship transfer to get the animal home...Animal in this sentence means:

a.
the cat
b. the tanker
c. the workers

C: Questions

Now read the second article and answer the questions.

Happy Ending for Colins the Stowaway Cat

SEOUL Tuesday December 4 (Reuters) - Colins
the stowaway cat was finally reunited
with her New Zealand owner again this week,
18 days after she fell asleep on a tanker
going to South Korea.

The
story of the stowaway began on November
15, when the nine-year-old cat went on the
tanker and was fed by a South Korean crew
member.

It
ended 9,600 km (5,965 miles) later at the
South Korean port of Yeosu on Tuesday, when
James Gordon MacPherson embraced
the cat that he and other dockworkers had
looked afterat Port Taranaki since
the early 1990s.

The
New Zealand dockworkers had tried to arrange
a ship-to-ship cat transfer but it was too
risky.

MacPherson thanked the crew of the tanker Tomikawa for their
care, Whiskas pet food and Korea Airlines
for airfares and quarantine officers in
South Korea and New Zealand for speeding
the return of their cat.

1.
Who did Colins meet?
2. Where did they meet?
3. Did the New Zealand dockworkers do a ship-to-ship cat
transfer? Why or why not?
4. How many kilometers did Colins travel on the tanker?

D: Reading in Detail

Read the sentences below and choose the correct statements.

1.
...met her New Zealand owner.. Owner in this sentence means:

a.
Colins the cat.
b. James Gordon MacPherson.
c. The New Zealand dockworkers.

2.
It ended 9,600 km (5,965 miles) later... It in the sentence means:

a.
Colins the cat.
b. The story about the cat.
c. The tanker.

E: Sequencing

Work in pairs and look at the sentences below.
What happened first? what happened next?
Put the sentences into the correct order.

a.
The dockworkers looked after the cat for nine years.
b. A dock worker at Port Taranaki, New Zealand adopted
a cat.
c. The crew of the tanker found Colins the cat.
d. Colins the cat went onto a tanker.
e. MacPherson met Colins at the South Korean port of Yeosu.
f. The ship left Port Taranaki for South Korea.
g. Whiskas Petfood and Korea Airlines helped MacPherson
fly to Korea.
h. New Zealand dockworkers tried to arrange a ship-to-ship
transfer but it was too risky.

Post-Reading
ActivitiesYou may do one or more
of these.

A: Language

In today's articles there were these words:

...tried to arrange a ship-to-ship cat transfer but it
was too risky

The words
try to _____ mean to make an effort or an attempt
to do something. When we try to do something
and don't succeed, we then use the word but.

Too + adjective, ('too
risky'), then explains why we couldn't do it.
(They wanted to move the cat from one ship to another, but
it was dangerous, so they couldn't arrange it.)

Example:
I tried to lift the TV, but it was too heavy.
( So I couldn't lift it.)

Look
at the words below and make sentences using tried
to.

Example:I / read that book / too difficultAnswer: I tried to read that book, but
it was too difficult.

Now write
three more sentences using your own ideas. Be careful with
your punctuation.

B: Vocabulary

Work in small groups and answer the questions below.

1.
Have you ever been rescued? What happened?
Have you ever seen a rescue?
What happened?
2. Do you know of any other international rescue missions?
3. Are the animals which are coming into your country
put in quarantine ?
4. Colins the cat was a stowaway. Do you know any
stories about other stowaways?
5. Do you live near a port?

C: Phone Call

Here
is a short, imaginary phone call that James McPherson
has with one of his friends, after he returns from Korea.
Read it in pairs. Student A is
James McPherson, Student B is his friend.

Student B: Hello?
Student A: Hi Paul. I'm back!

Student B: You're back! Where
have you been?Student A: In Korea! There was a photo of me in
the newspaper. Did you see it?

Student B: No. We've been camping.
So... why did you go to Korea?Student A: To get Colins.

Student B: Who?Student A: Colins, our cat. She lives at the port.
We adopted her 9 years ago. The silly cat went onto a
tanker. The crew only found her after the ship had left
Port Taranaki.

Student B: Yes, but why did you
go to Korea?Student A: Well, we tried to transfer her to another
ship, but it was too risky.

Student B: So you went to Korea to get Colins?Student A: That's right.
I flew there.The crew of the tanker gave her back to
me. Then I flew back here with her.
Student B: Did you have to pay for all that travel?Student A: No, no. 'Whiskas' and 'Korea Airlines'
were very kind.

Student B: And how is she?Student A: Who?

Student B: Colins, of course!Student A: She's fine. We're all very happy that
she's back home.
Student B: I can't believe you flew to Korea to get
a cat!Student A: She's a very special cat!

TEACHERS' NOTES AND ANSWER KEY

Please
note: This
lesson has an accompanying InstantWorkbook exercise.

Part
21. international rescue mission - A group of
people from different countries have the task or job of
rescuing someone or something.
2. ship-to-ship transfer - When you move something
from one ship to another ship without the object touching
land.

A: Vocabulary - Notes

For Part 1 of the vocabulary activity, allow the students
to use their dictionaries if necessary. For Part 2, if you
have a weaker class, use this task as a class activity where
you elicit ideas from the students.B: Prediction
- Notes

Go over the pictures with the class, asking the students
to name the things in the pictures. Provide the word oil
tanker for picture 2, as the students probably won't
know this word. Encourage the students to discuss
in their groups what they think today's articles will be
about. Circulate, providing help with vocabulary when necessary.
Ask one or two groups to share their ideas with the rest
of the class.

Reading Activities

A:
Questions - Answers

1. Colins the cat.
2. At Port Taranaki, on the west side of New Zealand's North
Island.
3. Korea's southern port city of Yeosu.
4. No.

B: Reading in Detail - Answers

1. b; 2. a; 3. a.C: Questions - Answers

1. Her New Zealand owner, James MacPherson.
2.The South Korean port of Yeosu.
3. No, because it was too risky.
4. 9,600 km.

D: Reading in Detail - Answers

1. b; 2. b.E: Sequencing - Answers

1 - b;
2 - a; 3 - d; 4 - f; 5 - c; 6 - h; 7 - g; 8 - e.

Post-Reading Activities

A:
Language - Notes

The difference
between 'try to do something' and 'try doing something'
is subtle and unnecessary for students at this level to
understand.

A: Language - Answers

1. I tried to climb the mountain, but it was too high.
2. We tried to go swimming, but the water / it was too cold.
3. We tried to talk at the pub, but it was too noisy.
4. Eamon and Solomon tried to play in the playground, but
it was too crowded.
5. I tried to study Hindi, but it was too difficult.

C: Phone Call - Notes

Students can do it in pairs and then swap roles.
You may wish to model some of the lines, so that they can
focus on intonation. In a one to one situation, you could
read it with the student. (This activity could prompt further
work, e.g. students could write a thank-you email from the
dock workers to the crew of the tanker. Younger students
may enjoy rewriting the story from the point of view of
the cat.)